Project Lead(s): Sidhant Jena

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death around the world. In India alone, there are nearly 62 million diabetic patients, a number that is expected to rise to 80 million by 2030. There is a large unmet need to provide an affordable, simple and intelligent blood glucose monitoring solution to patients and healthcare workers, and to couple these diagnostics with clinical decision support tools that can allow the transmission of data to specialists, along with public health agencies. After an initial proof-of-concept grant under Grand Challenges Canada’s Stars in Global Health Program, Jana Care is now scaling up the development of the Aina device, a mobile blood monitoring tool that plugs into a mobile phone. The device turns any mobile phone into a basic blood analyzer enabling lay users like healthcare workers and patients to measure blood glucose and five other basic blood parameters. The device and platform also integrates decision support and lifestyle tracking tools with a web-based patient management system for remote physician feedback. Jana Care will be undertaking pilots with both the Indian Ministry of Health and with two large hospital chains and the Public Health Foundation of India. The project aims to directly impact one million diabetic patients using the Aina device for self-management over the next three years. Additionally, another two million patients could be screened and managed through healthcare workers, as part of government screening programs and hospitals. Jana Care is a diabetes technology company that is building mobile diagnostics and evidence-based lifestyle coaching programs, with an initial focus on developing countries and India in particular. The company is based in Bangalore.